re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/19/13 at 10:27 pm to Palm Beach Tiger)

quote:I'd take Shaq and petit over Walton and Kareem. To say they wouldn't even fare well against them is beyond ridiculous.

Shaq would own the post. To say otherwise is wishful thinking; the man is physically too much of a beast for either guy to contest. Sure, Kareem might get off a skyhook or two, but Shaq would maul him down low. You have to consider there would be about a 60 pound advantage... and Shaq in college was relentless. To many people only think of the later years in the NBA when he was slow. He ran like a small forward early on.

re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/20/13 at 12:57 am to Rudy40)

quote:For stats CJ is in there but if this team really played a game you would have to start Ethan Martin. He was a phenomenal distributor at the point and he was a great defensive point guard could take the ball from any pg he played against. Al McGuire said Ethan had some of the quickest hands he had ever seen and while Pete was a great passer neither he or CJ played a lick of defense.

Pretty much, I'd have the 1981 team with O' Neal at center.

Although, that being said, it doesn't mean he'd have a lick of chemistry if he were put in with that bunch.

The 1981 team were the best LSU's ever had because they were the right 5 - not necessarily super-talented, although they were obviously quite talented. Every time they took the floor, you thought they would win, and that's the only team I can remember where people felt that way on a consistent basis.

re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/20/13 at 2:28 am to Random LSU Hero)

quote:Go do UCLA and UNC and get back to me

Sports Illustrated did an imaginary bracket of various schools' all-time teams a while back. They had LSU beating UNC in the semis and losing to UCLA in the finals. Doesn't really mean anything, but cool nonetheless.

King JoeyLSU FanJust south of the DC/US borderMember since Mar 200412067 posts

re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/20/13 at 5:49 am to EPORE)

quote:I would stack this team up against any other school's all stars in the country...

Nah, at 13 deep we could be pretty seriously outclassed. Teams like UCLA, UNC, probably Duke and Kentucky, etc., bring a lot more to the table at spots 4 or 5 through 13. But our first 3 or 4 (Pete, Shaq, CJ, maybe Petit) would be the best in the business. Probably good enough that we could put a starting 5 on the floor (with, say, Maclin) that could match up well with anyone else.

Problem with a full roster is that most truly elite historical programs may only have 1 or 2, or maybe even none, right up at the Maravich/Shaq/CJ level, but they've got buttloads of guys just a half step below that level. LSU, on the other hand, might have two or three guys a step or two off that level, and then a bunch of guys on the next tier down. But when you look at the Grant Hills, Michael Jordans (in college), Lew Alcinders, Bill Russells, Danny Ferrys, Anthony Davises, and on and on and on . . . we just don't have that kind of depth.

But man, I'd love watching that starting 5. With Pete and CJ dishing and draining, Shaq dominating the inside, and Petit and Macklin just cleaning up the rest . . . damn, that would be something.

re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/20/13 at 8:09 am to King Joey)

quote:Nah, at 13 deep we could be pretty seriously outclassed.

I tend to agree. The starters would be incredible, but the bench is lackluster when you are considering all-time rosters.

Nobody questions the starting 5 of: CJ Pistol Rudy Pettit Shaq

The real debate here is over the backups. I think the only clear cut backups are at PG and C. The rest you have decisions to make: Ethan Martin Howard Carter/Marcus Thornton/Ronnie Henderson? John Williams/Redden/Vernel/Tasmin? Bass/Stromile/Baby/Tyrus/Blanton? Stanley Roberts

That would be a pretty lackluster set of backups when you compare them to the other great schools.

re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/20/13 at 8:10 am to Scoob)

quote:Shaq would own the post. To say otherwise is wishful thinking; the man is physically too much of a beast for either guy to contest. Sure, Kareem might get off a skyhook or two, but Shaq would maul him down low. You have to consider there would be about a 60 pound advantage... and Shaq in college was relentless. To many people only think of the later years in the NBA when he was slow. He ran like a small forward early on.

Shaq would foul out in 10 minutes against Walton and Kareem, and while he was in there they could intentionally foul him and put him on the line. He wouldn't get the star calls against Kareem and Walton and they have 100X more skills. A young Kareem and Walton would eat Shaq alive.

re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/20/13 at 9:46 am to mmcgrath)

quote:quote: Shaq would own the post. To say otherwise is wishful thinking; the man is physically too much of a beast for either guy to contest. Sure, Kareem might get off a skyhook or two, but Shaq would maul him down low. You have to consider there would be about a 60 pound advantage... and Shaq in college was relentless. To many people only think of the later years in the NBA when he was slow. He ran like a small forward early on.

Shaq would foul out in 10 minutes against Walton and Kareem, and while he was in there they could intentionally foul him and put him on the line. He wouldn't get the star calls against Kareem and Walton and they have 100X more skills. A young Kareem and Walton would eat Shaq alive.

College Shaq actually shot FTs well at times. I remember him hovering around 60% and thinking he was gonna develop it. In the pros, he took a step back.

re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/20/13 at 9:59 am to mmcgrath)

quote:Shaq would foul out in 10 minutes against Walton and Kareem, and while he was in there they could intentionally foul him and put him on the line. He wouldn't get the star calls against Kareem and Walton and they have 100X more skills. A young Kareem and Walton would eat Shaq alive.

A lot would depend on the officiating ill give you that. But Walton and Kareem never faced anyone remotely like Shaq. On the other hand, Shaq did face someone like them in Hakeem. And although Hakeem outplayed him slightly Shaq got his too. And really all Shaq would have to do is not get dominated and let Jackson and Maravich do their thing.

re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/20/13 at 10:26 am to tigerfan88)

I don't even know how this is debatable. This has been discussed ad nauseum on here, but LSU's starting 5 is arguably the best all-time nationally, just not in the SEC.

In terms of depth, Kentucky could go 50 deep on LSU, but you don't play 50 players. LSU's next 5 would be littered with SEC POY winners, i.e. the best player in the SEC for a year - on the bench. In the 2000s alone Glen David, Brandon Bass, Stromile Swift, and Marcus Thornton were all the best player in the conference one year. And they are all on the bench.

re: LSU Basketball All Star Team (Posted on 2/20/13 at 11:46 am to lsumatt)

quote:In terms of depth, Kentucky could go 50 deep on LSU, but you don't play 50 players. LSU's next 5 would be littered with SEC POY winners, i.e. the best player in the SEC for a year - on the bench. In the 2000s alone Glen David, Brandon Bass, Stromile Swift, and Marcus Thornton were all the best player in the conference one year. And they are all on the bench.

Exactly. Other teams would have a little better depth, but how much do you need really with the starting 5 we would have. People really think guys like Tyrus Thomas couldn't come in and play a few minutes for Bob Petit, enough to still win? Of course they would. Our starting 5 would be just nasty, and the bench would be enough to get by on anyone. Now the problem we would truly have is who would coach this team? UCLA would have Wooden. UK would have Rupp. UNC would have Smith. Duke would have K. We would have trouble there.